AUTHENTICATION SYSTEM AND AUTHENTICATION METHOD FOR PERFORMING AUTHENTICATION OF WIRELESS TERMINAL

• US 20080051061A1
• Filed: 08/21/2007
• Published: 02/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Platforms, Ltd. (NEC Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NEC Infrontia Corporation (NEC Corporation)
• Inventors: TAKAHASHI, Masatsugu
• Granted Patent: US 7,945,245 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/88 Detecting or preventing theft or loss
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2129 Authenticate client device independently of the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2137 Time limited access, e.g. to a computer or data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/062 Pre-authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

An authentication system for performing authentication of a wireless terminal is a system that issues an authentication request to an authentication server connected to a communication network and includes a wireless base station and an authentication server. The wireless base station includes: an authentication information acquisition means for acquiring authentication information from a wireless connection request packet; and an authentication request transmission means for transmitting the authentication information acquired by the authentication information acquisition means and RAS unique information registered in the wireless base station to the authentication server. The authentication server includes a means for acquiring the transmitted authentication information and RAS unique information and comparing the acquired authentication information and RAS unique information with previously registered wireless terminal authentication information previously registered to determine whether or not they coincide with each other. In the case where the acquired authentication information and RAS unique information and previously registered wireless terminal authentication information coincide with each other, the wireless terminal is authenticated.

Claims

1. An authentication system for performing authentication of a wireless terminal that issues an authentication request to an authentication server connected to a communication network through a wireless base station for access to the communication network, wherein

the wireless base station comprises:

authentication information acquisition means for acquiring authentication information from a wireless connection request packet including the authentication information transmitted from the wireless terminal; and

authentication request transmission means for transmitting the authentication information acquired by the authentication information acquisition means and RAS unique information which is information unique to the wireless base station that has previously been registered in the wireless base station to the authentication server as an authentication request packet,

the authentication server comprises;

base station information acquisition means for acquiring the authentication information and RAS unique information of the wireless base station from the authentication request packet transmitted by the authentication request transmission means; and

base station information determination means for comparing the authentication information and RAS unique information acquired by the base station information acquisition means with wireless terminal authentication information in which the authentication information and RAS unique information have previously been registered in association with each other to determine whether or not they coincide with each other, and

in the case where the acquired authentication information and RAS unique information and previously registered wireless terminal authentication information coincide with each other, the base station information determination means authenticates the wireless terminal.

2. The authentication system according to claim 1, wherein

the authentication server further comprises RAS unique information determination means and authentication result transmission means,

the RAS unique information determination means determining authentication rejection in the case where the authentication information acquired by the base station information acquisition means and previously registered wireless terminal authentication information do not coincide with each other,

the RAS unique information determination means determining authentication acceptance in the case where the authentication information acquired by the base station information acquisition means and previously registered wireless terminal authentication information coincide with each other and where corresponding RAS information coincide with each other to update the validity period of the wireless terminal authentication information,

the RAS unique information determination means determining authentication acceptance in the case where the authentication information acquired by the base station information acquisition means and previously registered wireless terminal authentication information coincide with each other but corresponding RAS information do not coincide with each other and where the authentication request is within the validity period of the wireless terminal authentication information,

the RAS unique information determination means determining authentication rejection in the case where the authentication information acquired by the base station information acquisition means and previously registered wireless terminal authentication information coincide with each other but corresponding RAS information do not coincide with each other and where the authentication request is beyond the validity period of the wireless terminal authentication information,

the authentication result transmission means transmitting an authentication acceptance replay packet generated by the authentication server to the wireless base station in the case where authentication acceptance is determined by the RAS unique information determination means, and

the authentication result transmission means transmitting an authentication rejection replay packet generated by the authentication server to the wireless base station in the case where authentication rejection is determined by the RAS unique information determination means, and

the wireless base station further comprises authentication result base station transmission means,

the authentication result base station transmission means transmitting a wireless connection acceptance replay packet to the wireless terminal when receiving the authentication acceptance replay packet transmitted by the authentication result transmission means of the authentication server, and

the authentication result base station transmission means transmitting a wireless connection rejection replay packet to the wireless terminal when receiving the authentication rejection replay packet transmitted by the authentication result transmission means of the authentication server.

3. The authentication system according to claim 2, wherein,

in the case where the RAS unique information determination means determines that the RAS unique information coincide with each other and that the authentication request from the wireless base station is beyond the validity period of the wireless terminal authentication information, the authentication server determines expiration of the authentication validity period and generates an authentication validity period expiration replay packet so as to transmit to the wireless base station.

4. The authentication system according to claim 2, wherein,

in the case where the RAS unique information determination means determines that the RAS unique information do coincide with each other, the authentication server determines authentication rejection regardless of whether the wireless terminal authentication information is within or beyond the validity period.

5. The authentication system according to claim 2, wherein

the authentication server can change the RAS unique information of the wireless base station which has previously been registered in association with the authentication information of the wireless terminal to which the authentication result base station transmission means of the wireless base station has transmitted the wireless connection acceptance replay packet.

6. An authentication method used in an authentication system for performing authentication of a wireless terminal that issues an authentication request to an authentication server connected to a communication network through a wireless base station for access to the communication network, comprising:

a first step in which the wireless base station acquires authentication information from a wireless connection request packet including the authentication information transmitted from the wireless terminal;

a second step in which the wireless base station

transmits the authentication information acquired by the first step and RAS unique information which is information unique to the wireless base station that has previously been registered in the wireless base station to the authentication server as an authentication request packet;

a third step in which the authentication server acquires the authentication information and RAS unique information of the wireless base station from the authentication request packet transmitted by the second step; and

a fourth step in which the authentication server compares the authentication information and RAS unique information acquired by the third step with wireless terminal authentication information in which the authentication information and RAS unique information have previously been registered in association with each other to determine whether or not they coincide with each other, wherein,

in the case where the authentication information and RAS unique information acquired by the third step and previously registered wireless terminal authentication information coincide with each other, the fourth step authenticates the wireless terminal.

7. The authentication method according to claim 6, further comprising:

a fifth step, a sixth step, and a seventh step,

the fifth step determining authentication rejection in the case where the authentication information acquired by the third step and previously registered wireless terminal authentication information do not coincide with each other in the fourth step,

the fifth step determining authentication acceptance in the case where the authentication information acquired by the third step and previously registered wireless terminal authentication information coincide with each other and where corresponding RAS information coincide with each other in the fourth step to update the validity period of the wireless terminal authentication information,

the fifth step determining authentication acceptance in the case where the authentication information acquired by the third step and previously registered wireless terminal authentication information coincide with each other but corresponding RAS information do not coincide with each other in the fourth step and where the authentication request is within the validity period of the wireless terminal authentication information,

the fifth step determining authentication rejection in the case where the authentication information acquired by the third step and previously registered wireless terminal authentication information coincide with each other but corresponding RAS information do not coincide with each other in the fourth step and where the authentication request is beyond the validity period of the wireless terminal authentication information,

the sixth step transmitting an authentication acceptance replay packet generated by the authentication server to the wireless base station in the case where authentication acceptance is determined by fifth step, and

the six step transmitting an authentication rejection replay packet generated by the authentication server to the wireless base station in the case where authentication rejection is determined by the fifth step,

the seventh step transmitting a wireless connection acceptance replay packet to the wireless terminal when the wireless base station receives the authentication acceptance replay packet transmitted by the sixth step, and

the seventh step transmitting a wireless connection rejection replay packet to the wireless terminal when the wireless base station receives the authentication rejection replay packet transmitted by the sixth step.

8. The authentication method according to claim 7, wherein

in the case where it is determined in the fifth step that the RAS unique information coincide with each other and that the authentication request from the wireless base station is beyond the validity period of the wireless terminal authentication information, the authentication server determines expiration of the authentication validity period and generates an authentication validity period expiration replay packet so as to transmit to the wireless base station.

9. The authentication method according to claim 7, wherein

in the case where it is determined in the fifth step that the RAS unique information do coincide with each other, the authentication server determines authentication rejection regardless of whether the wireless terminal authentication information is within or beyond the validity period.

10. The authentication method according to claim 7, wherein

the authentication server can change the RAS unique information of the wireless base station which has previously been registered in association with the authentication information of the wireless terminal to which the authentication result base station transmission means of the wireless base station has transmitted the wireless connection acceptance replay packet in the seventh step.

11. A wireless base station which is connected to a wireless terminal and an authentication server through a communication network, comprising:

authentication information acquisition means for acquiring authentication information from a wireless connection request packet including the authentication information transmitted from the wireless terminal; and

authentication request transmission means for transmitting the authentication information acquired by the authentication information acquisition means and RAS unique information which is information unique to the wireless base station that has previously been registered in the wireless base station to the authentication server as an authentication request packet.

12. An authentication server which is connected to a communication network to which a wireless terminal is connected through a wireless base station, comprising:

base station information acquisition means for acquiring authentication information and RAS unique information of the wireless base station from the authentication request packet transmitted by the wireless base station; and

base station information determination means for comparing the authentication information and RAS unique information acquired by the base station information acquisition means with wireless terminal authentication information in which the authentication information and RAS unique information have previously been registered in association with each other to determine whether or not they do not coincide with each other.